still fuckin with climb cuz climb pays: the ILX hiking thread

FYI Abrams Falls IS easy, but incredibly rocky and considered one of the 10 most dangerous hikes in America for this reason (and also the fact that people die swimming there). The NPS discourages getting in the water at Abrams. That aside, it is one of my favorite hikes. Skip: Clingman's Dome, unless you are fetishistic about reaching "highest point(s) in _______." It is ugly this time of year, and way too crowded, but it is the highest point in TN. Something I would really recommend is going up to the Mt. Sterling shelter and camping there. It is the only shelter camping experience you can get without hiking a lot, or really, at all. It's close via car to Newfound Gap which is worth a stop for the view (you'll be there anyway if you do Charlie's Bunion, IMO the 2nd best hike in the Smokies, and awesome this time of year). Of course, the jewel in the crown of the Smokies is Mt. Leconte and I can't advise anyone to skip it ever. If you only come here once, you really must do it. Only 5 miles up from the Alum Cave trailhead. A tough 5, but not too tough, and more worth it than anything you'll ever do.

I would recommend the Boulevard as the trail up Mt. Leconte. It's longer, but a lot less (I won't say strenuous, it probably evens out) constantly uphill. It's 8 miles of incredible beauty and surprises. For real. It is THE Smoky Mountain experience.

Also cool and really easy is Kephart Prong (named after ultimate bro Horace Kephart), only 2 miles, and there is a beautiful shelter to camp in. It's great this time of year. Lots of stream crossings (w/ footbridges) and covered in wildflowers. Perfect forest hiking, perfect backwoods camping.

(Should have said "though" after my sentence about the Boulevard. Basically just don't take the Bullhead)

oh phew, it's a relief that roaring fork isn't 100% necessary -- i was worried that it would be the only way that we can access the places we want to go.

i do want to visit the jewel in the crown of the smokies, though -- will not skip. whee forest hiking wildflowers ultimate smoky mtn experience! i am c/p-ing all of this into a doc that i will print and bring along. otherwise i am likely to forget all of your advice.

!!muchisimas gracias!!

seriously, when the SMA was trying to get the feds to make the smokies a national park...they took them to Mt. Leconte.

<3 I hope you love the Smokies. It is my favorite place on earth and I have devoted my life to it.

well, i certainly feel fortunate to have your advice on my visit :)

have fun on tour! sorry i'm missing you in chicago. i will tell mt leconte you said wuzzup/luv.

i loved the smokies! pics forthcoming as soon as i get my shit organized and pick up my (other) dog from the dude who was taking care of him. we took the puppy with us, which interfered with hiking a little bit but mostly interfered because she got her first period while we were there :-/

the short story is that
* hiking in the early morning is MY JAM. so quiet, so spooky.
* charlie's bunion hike was my favorite because it was SO foggy and SO quiet and there was no one there but us. lots of awesome gnarly trees. we saw some people on the way down, but no one on the way up.
* boots were ok, but can anyone explain why my feet felt numb and then extremely painful in the toe area on the way down any steep incline? is it my feet or the boots, you think?
* smokies rule

many thanks to nij/rox for their valuable expertise.

boots too big imo

if they felt numb, probably too tight

i had a pair of amazing ecco gor-tex hiking boots that i couldn't wear bc they did the same thing after 30mins or so - i think it was bc altho the leather would have stretched after wearing them in, the gor-tex wouldn't.

TREES

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4812014025_3b7f02c0fe.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4812648290_75d8dd4126.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4812649230_e499fa6cc2_b.jpg

VIEW
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4812031209_fcbdf59e61.jpg

daaaaaang

so are my boots too big (gbx, doctor) or too small (justin3, shoe expert)?

it is a mystery

i mean if the pain/numbness happens only when going downhill, it might be because your toes are sliding forward and banging the end of yr boots. this has been my experience, at least. you could try some insoles, they usually do a good job of holding yr feet in the same place while you move around

i had some insoles and i removed them because it seemed like they were crowding my toes. it got a little better, but still happened on the final day of hiking. as soon as i took my boots off and rubbed my feet a little, the pain was totally gone. this makes me think it's the boot and not a deformed/fucked up foot.

in my opinion, most numbness, toe-banging, and blister issues arise when boots are too stiff. i really don't think it's necessary to have a traditional leather hiking boot unless you're carrying a pack that's 25 - 30% of your weight. once i finally switched to trail runners as my hiking (and backpacking shoes), i stopped getting problems similar to what you've described.

if you want to stick with boots, i second gbx's recommendation for insoles - get a pair that is advertised as low profile. superfeet insoles are probably best at holding your feet in place, because they have a lot of arch support and a really deep heel cup, or you can get customizable ones from montrail or sole that are a little less extreme.

yeah i am 100% of trail runners---i haven't used a "real" hiking boot in like ten years

~in favor~

huh

mine aren't leather, but they are boots. will take into consideration. i like the sturdiness of boots, and the very solid sole, and the fact that i can wear them in the snow, but i always find myself wanting a pair of hiking shoes BUT i don't want to ruin my running shoes. so many shoes.

gahhh need car miss hikes ;_;

I just got back from approx two weeks of hiking in NE Oregon, where I calculate I hiked about 110 miles and 20,000 ft. of elevation gain and loss in 12 days of hikes. I may post a few pics later. I feel great btw. It's my form of periodic rejuvenation.

However, I drove 350 miles today to get home, and boy are my arms tired (no, uh, wait a sec; dammit; wrong joke).

welcome back! that sounds great. i love oregon.

Wallowas? Steens? or somewhere else?

my wife is camping on the headwaters of the Metolius near Bend OR right now, she goes camping with some of her girlfriends every summer.

I want to go hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains! I need to see when my Knoxville friend will be in Knoxville again, maybe she will come with me if I don't mention the bears.

I was in the Wallowas. That place is starting to become my second home. I would have branched out this year and done a long section of the PCT for a change, but the late melt-out for this year's snow buggered those plans but good.

BTW, the Metolius area is OUTSTANDING! My wife and I will go backpacking together near there next week, in the Mt. Jefferson wilderness. This is a big trip for us, because my wife hasn't done such an ambitious hike for almost a decade.

Not sure what size this will come out. Sorry if it is huge. Flickr has been monkeying with how this is done and I am in strange territory.

This pic is the headwaters of the South Fork of the Imnaha River at dusk.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29988498@N05/4885396201

eh. Let me work on this later.

I want to go hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains! I need to see when my Knoxville friend will be in Knoxville again, maybe she will come with me if I don't mention the bears.

― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Wednesday, August 11, 2010 4:58 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark

Surely any Knoxvillian knows there are bears! Haw

We apologize for unavoidable delays caused by YACT (Yet Another Camping Trip).

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4885396201_11a9b153d1_z.jpg
S. Imnaha R. at dusk

Technology Gets Hikers Into Trouble

mmm love that photo, aimless!
i miss pnw!

getting car this weekend - need to start planning virginia/w virginia hikes now :)

mt rogers. ill meet you there. wild miniature horses that won't leave you alone. beautiful views.

wild miniature horses that won't leave you alone.
omg seriously?

yes, yes 1000x yes

ohmygosh!
it is too long a drive for a regular weekend hike... but maybe we should meet there some dayand then go to the trail of tears mini golf after!

miniature wild ponies
that is so dreamy

headed here in fifteen minutes:

http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/88/68388-004-16B9EFFB.jpg

http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/tennessee/images/s/lookout-mountain.jpg

BF and i might do mt rogers tomorrow

http://www.virginia.org/images/Wildlife/MtRogersPonies.jpg

flocka wild ponies

cowgirl it, roxy!

i am going to cuddle them

aimless: ew

i am going to cuddle them

otm

we went to bull run mountain yesterday. it was really not much climb at all and now i am sad because i had to drive an hour just to get to that... i think higher hills are at least 2hrs away? gotta do more research. also it was such a tease because now i want a real hike but i have to do laundry today!

http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/rr222/Chass3ur/IMG_1771_pshop4x6.jpg

went "hiking" yesterday around sundown, the light kind failed on this photo, but its a cool place for a walk with little kids. saw many deer.

mini-flatirons?

same formation afaik, just 30 miles straight south.

someone brilliantly made half of this a state park, the other half - a luxury home golf community. >:[